He Mocked Me, I Made Him Say Sorry

Chapter 2 The VIP Room

Three years after I dumped James, his socialite mother tracked me down. She claimed her son had become a complete waste of space and begged me to go back and save him.

I barely got through the door before some thug started running his mouth.

"Who the f**k are you? This is a private room, b***h! Get out!"

I didn't bother with the lapdog. I scanned the VIP room instead.

The place was packed with James's deadbeat crew. Every guy had a girl draped over him, all low-cut tops and micro-skirts. The table was loaded with top-shelf booze and overpriced food. Pure, rotten decadence.

My gaze landed on James, slouched in the corner with his legs crossed, smoking a cigarette.

He'd dyed his hair gray and kept his head low. A girl sat next to him who looked about sixty percent like me. I was icier. She was sweeter.

James's childhood friend Brody recognized me first. His jaw hit the floor.

"Holy s**t! Isn't that the legendary Mia..."

He slapped a hand over his own mouth, but it was too late.

The instant James caught even the first syllable of my name, his head snapped up. Our eyes locked, and he went completely still.

The shifting club lights went dark for a beat, hiding his expression. When they flickered back on, all I saw on his face was disgust and contempt.

James leaned back and threw his arm around the girl beside him. She turned bright red and nestled into his chest like a little bird.

Too bad James didn't notice her blushing. He was too busy sneering at me. "Well, well, if it isn't the gold-digger who dumped me for cash."

He looked me up and down, noticed I wasn't wearing a single designer label, and smirked with satisfaction.

"Mia Fairfax, still broke as ever. What's this, you want me back? Get on your knees and bow three times, then we'll talk."

His crew burst out laughing. Aside from Brody, nobody in the room knew who I was. They ripped into me without mercy.

"Bro, what kind of i***t dumps a guy like James for money? If I were a chick, I'd worship him 24/7. He could smack me around and I'd thank him. I'd call him daddy!"

"She's gotta be clout-chasing, right? She kinda looks like Olivia. Bet she got surgery. Pathetic. She's not worth a fraction of Olivia. Olivia's the only one who deserves James!"

'Olivia Winslet. So that was the girl glued to James's side.'

Olivia glanced at me from the safety of James's arms, her eyes dripping with pity. Underneath it, I caught smugness and quiet contempt.

She probably figured I'd gone under the knife to look like her, just to get close to James. And that I still didn't qualify to sit next to him.

Brody was the only one who hadn't said a word. He kept glancing between James and me, visibly anxious. He opened his mouth to say something, but the others shouted right over him.

That was when the comments appeared in front of me again.

A: [The villainess finally showed up. She's supposed to be some legendary first love? Doesn't look like much. Way worse than our baby girl.]

B: [Relax, the villainess never lasts long anyway. The male lead already forgot all about her. He won't give her the time of day.]

C: [This scene kills me lmao. The villainess tries to politely convince the male lead to get his act together, and he won't even look at her. Self-humiliation at its finest!]

I'd actually planned to go easy on James. First time seeing each other in three years, after all. But after reading those comments, I changed my mind.

We'd been apart too long. Someone had forgotten the rules, and he needed a reminder.

James was still basking in his crew's trash talk, turning to praise whoever had roasted me best, when my shadow fell over him.

I stood right in front of him, raised my arm high, and backhanded him across the face.

The room went dead silent.

"Aw, what's this? Want me back? Get on your knees and bow three times first!"

I walked right up to him and backhanded him across the face.

Viewer comments flooded my vision out of nowhere.

A: [Has the villainess lost her mind?? She actually SLAPPED the rich male lead?? Our sweet baby heroine is sitting RIGHT THERE!]

B: [This moron is supposed to be his soulmate? She's a bloodstain at best! With his temper, he's gonna wreck her face!]

C: [Our baby girl is so much better. Sweet, gentle, the perfect little wifey. Never talks back to the male lead, docile as a kitten. Anyone with eyes knows who to pick.]

D: [No wonder she's the wicked villainess! Vain women who defy the male lead are the worst! Catering to men is a woman's highest calling! Just die already! Waiting for the male lead to snap!]

'James, snap at me?' I almost laughed.

I stared him down in front of every last person in that room. "Apologize."

The bright red outline of my handprint blazed across James's face. His eyes burned crimson with fury.

But he ground the words through clenched teeth. "...Sorry."

The room erupted. Terrified whispers rippled through the crowd. The demon who could bring James to heel was back.

I gave a satisfied nod. And here I'd thought they'd all forgotten.

The Harrison family's golden boy had been trained into my most obedient dog three full years ago.

*****

When James's socialite mother tracked me down, I was packing for graduate school abroad.

"Mia, I'm begging you. Go back to James and save that boy."

Judith got straight to the point the moment we sat down at the café, squeezing out a few crocodile tears for good measure.

"Ever since you two split three years ago, he's been spiraling. Total trust fund brat. All he does is drink, party, and burn money. We spoiled him rotten. He won't listen to us. If nobody reins him in, he'll end up worthless!"

I stirred my coffee, listened to every word, and smirked.

Three years ago, Judith had summoned me to this exact same café. She'd flung a check in my face and told me to disappear from James's life.

She'd called me trash. Said a broke nobody had no business controlling her son. Said men were born to stand above women. Said poverty was the original sin, and he'd be better off without me.

She'd conveniently forgotten that James only kept his temper in check, finished college, and prepared to take over the family business because I was there.

I met Judith's gaze. Gone was the terrified girl she'd seen three years ago. In her place sat a woman in full control.

"Sure. I'll do it."

Judith barely had time to smile before I finished my sentence.

"But it'll cost you. How long I stay depends on how much you pay. The moment the contract's up, I walk."

Judith's face went green.

"Mia, when did you become this shallow? You can't put a price tag on love! I'm truly disappointed in you!"

I didn't waste a single word. I stood up to leave. Judith's face flipped on a dime. She fell all over herself trying to keep me seated, promising to wire the money immediately.

I smiled. 'Kindness gets you eaten alive.' I learned that lesson three years ago.

That same night, five million dollars richer, I tracked down James's bar and pushed open the door to his VIP room.

The noise inside cut off like someone hit a mute button. Every head in the room swiveled toward me.